The present invention relates in general to the field of furniture such as couches, loveseats, chairs, coffee tables, end tables, ottomans, and the like. More specifically, the present invention relates to skirted furniture which may be partially disassembled for compact and efficient packaging.
Historically, furniture was manufactured and packaged wholly assembled, where it was then shipped to various retailers or end users in a fully assembled condition. Particularly for end users, this method of delivery was preferred as no assembly was required. However, this method of manufacture has drawbacks in the current marketplace, as shipping of wholly assembled furniture leaves voids in the packaging, which add to the overall shipping cost per unit shipped. Although this method of delivery does remain a viable method, typically it is only utilized for high-end or specialty furniture. A subset of this method is furniture that may be packaged in a predominantly assembled condition, but which may require connection of limited numbers of components.
Today, most mass-produced furniture is manufactured in a manner which permits the furniture to be shipped in an unassembled condition, such that it may be placed compactly in a box for shipping. Often, such boxes are flat. This practice saves on shipping costs by reducing the container voids which would otherwise remain empty when the article of furniture is packed. Furniture produced by this method of manufacture is often referred to as knock-down or “K.D.” furniture.
K.D. furniture suffers from at least two major disadvantages over fully or partially assembled furniture. First, the K.D. furniture is typically shipped with its components completely unassembled, resulting in a vast array of component parts. This requires that the end user have the ability and desire to assemble the furniture prior to use. Such tasks are often difficult for end users, and may require the assistance of paid assembly personnel or helpers, adding to the ultimate expense and efforts required by the end user.
In addition, the joints formed between the field-assembled components are often not as strong as joints which are factory assembled. As a result, the furniture may not last as long or be as stable in use. Even if the field-assembled components are as stable as those which may be factory assembled, many end-users have the perception that such joints are less secure.
In the case of skirted furniture, such as chairs and sofas having skirts extending between each of the adjacent legs, it has been the practice to manufacture and sell such furniture with permanently attached skirts. The permanently attached skirts limit the ability to compactly package such furniture, and are undesirable because of the costs associated with shipping such furniture with the resultant large packaging voids.
In order to alleviate this problem, it is known to provide a partially skirted item of furniture. For example, a chair or sofa may be provided with a skirt extending only between the two front legs, without skirts along the sides or back. While eliminating some of the packaging related problems, consumers find such furniture less attractive than their fully skirted counterparts, and the furniture is thus less desirable.
The present invention has arisen to solve the need for fully skirted articles of furniture which are capable of being shipped in a relatively compact manner, but which do not require complete assembly by the end user. The present invention solves this need while also alleviating the concerns, justified or not, that end user assembled components suffer from strength or longevity deficiencies.